MIT Title IX comments on DeVos’s policy on sexual harassment

Sarah Rankin, MIT’s Title IX coordinator, released a statement Tuesday affirming that its commitment to “providing vital support resources” will not change, in response to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s proposed policies regarding college sexual assault.

The MIT Title IX Office is currently reviewing the draft of the regulations and determining how MIT’s policies could be affected, as well as any action MIT should take.

The proposed policies would narrow the definition of sexual assault to which colleges must respond, making the standard “unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the school's education program or activity.”

Currently, colleges must respond to any “unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature,” as per the Obama administration’s guidelines.

“We will continue to administer a fair, impartial, and transparent complaint-handling process to all parties involved in sexual misconduct cases,” the statement said.